Singer Mark Wilkerson and guitarist John Milldrum first appeared on the musical scene in 2000 as part of the Alabama band Cog (not to be confused with the Australian progressive group). Inspired by a diverse spectrum of music - from Motown to metal - Cog first made a name playing Alabama's cover band circuit, with set lists including everything from Duran Duran to Warrant to Metallica.

Cog's self-released debut album, No Time At All, was released in March 2001. That July, Wilkerson and Milldrum decided to head out on their own. The pair invited Rickey Shelton, formerly of hard rock group Dust For Life, to join them in the studio. After considering calling themselves "Pull", the new band took the name "Course of Nature", which had been the name of one of the tracks on No Time At All.